Ad traffickers schedule, monitor, and report on advertisements for vendors or internal clients. These positions require an understanding of technology and may require proficiency in web technologies as well as advertising software. The job outlook for these careers decline through 2029.
Essential Information
Ad traffickers submit and upload advertisements to broadcast, print, or Internet advertising venues. They also track the progress of advertising campaigns from conception to delivery by monitoring deadlines, billing, and advertisement scheduling and placement. Many ad traffic careers are Web-based and require specialized knowledge of Internet marketing techniques and technology. A bachelor's degree in advertising or a related field is generally required.
| Required Education | Bachelor's degree in advertising or journalism |
| Projected Job Outlook (2019-2029) | -1% for all advertising and promotions managers* |
| Median Salary (2020) | $50,826** |
Sources: * U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), **PayScale.com
Job Description of an Ad Trafficker
Just as the word traffic implies, an ad trafficker coordinates the movement of ideas, creative projects, advertisements, and all associated paperwork with account managers, creative artists, and other advertising agency personnel. Ad traffickers do this by facilitating workflow and communication to ensure that deadlines are efficiently and consistently met from inception to broadcast, placement, or implementation of an advertisement. Ad traffickers also communicate with clients to maintain customer satisfaction and report on the status of advertisements to both internal and external stakeholders.
Ad Trafficker Job Duties
In addition to monitoring communications, billing, and scheduling related to an advertisement, ad traffickers make sure that ads are published, broadcast or uploaded at the appropriate time, in the agreed upon venue and as the client intended. For Web-based ad traffickers, this requires the use of third-party ad servers to upload content to the Internet.
Ad traffickers must also have facility with a variety of coding and rich media technologies such as HTML, Flash, Java, and others. Because online advertising combines text, graphics, sound, and video, online ad traffickers use their skills with video encoding, computer graphics, and Internet marketing technologies to ensure that ads appear correctly and in the desired formats. They also troubleshoot inaccuracies or problems, monitor ad campaigns, and report to advertising sales agents on the status and placement of campaigns to guarantee correct billing.
Salary of an Ad Trafficker
According to October 2020 salary figures from PayScale.com, advertising traffic managers in the 90th percentile or higher earned $70000 or more per year, whereas the bottom 10th percentile earned $26,000 or less per year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also reported a decline in employment of advertising and promotions managers from 2019-2029. The decrease in demand is due to the continued expansion of automation and electronic media.
Ad traffickers usually require a bachelor's degree. Their jobs require them to monitor workflow in an advertising campaign, and they need solid coding ability, knowledge of rich media technologies and skills in internet marketing. The median average salary was about $51,000 in 2020.
